Tag Archives: salons

It has been a few months since I last posted here, but it was all for a few great reasons! First, the Columbus Naturalistas is hosting (for the 4th year in a row), the International Natural Hair Meet-up Day (INHMD) on May 30, 2015. This is the most widely attended natural hair event in our city because we are committed to making it a memorable, informative, and empowering event for all. We have some amazing things in store for the event to make it even better than the year before! (Get your tickets HERE) Obviously, I’m swamped with planning, promoting, and managing the event details.

Second, I am starting the process of becoming a small business owner! That’s right, I’m following my dreams and turning my passion into profits (more on that later).

During the process of planning the INHMD event, I began developing a relationship with Karen Coleman, owner of Synergi Salon, one of Columbus’s most well-known and respected natural hair salons. Karen has been a hairdresser for 30+ years and started Synergi Salon to help women fall back in love with their natural hair (I love that!). Not only is she joining me for the INHMD event on our panel, she is a blogger as well! Beginning this month, I’ll be featuring some of her blog posts, which will focus on transitioning from relaxed to natural and all the things you can expect along the journey (excellent information for all of us!).

Here is the first installment:

6 Common Mistakes Naturals Make When They Go To A Salon

The modern natural hair movement has been exciting for women who want to kick the chemicals and celebrate their natural kinks and curls. However, going to a salon as a ‘natural’ – especially a new natural – can be confusing. A lot of the information can be questionable or conflicting. I’ve assembled my top hair tips here to help women unpack natural hair myths when they visit a salon.

Here are 6 common mistakes ‘naturals’ make when they go to a salon:

1. Following a trend because “everybody’s doing it”

Have you ever heard of jumping on the bandwagon? There is a lot of pressure to try out a new technique because it’s new and popular. Every month there is a new trend: co-washing, no-poo, baggying, Tangle Teezer, and so on. While these techniques can work for some women, it’s better to stick to tried and true techniques. Look for styles or products that will address your unique hair needs – and leave the fads at the door.

2. Participating in hair typing

While it’s nice to feel like you’re part of a group, at the end of the day your hair is as unique as you are. While your curls can look like someone else’s, it doesn’t mean that they will behave like them. Try to break free of hair typing and learn what works for your unique gorgeous locks.

3. Putting length on a pedestal

There’s a tonne of pressure to have long hair. And even more talk about how to make your ziggly, spirally and or coily hair appear longer. But why should length be the goal? Short hair can be just as beautiful as long hair. In fact, short hair can be fierce and fashion-forward. It’s time we stop setting restrictive beauty standards and realize that beauty comes at any hair length.

4. Fighting the frizz

Simply put: embrace your frizz! Telling women to de-frizz their hair is basically telling them to shave their head. Hair gets frizzy – it’s just part of life. The sooner we embrace it and celebrate it, the better. What I recommend for my clients is the Synergi Glaze and Mousse http://www.synergisalon.com. It truly helps to contain the frizz.

5. African American hair requires specific products

If you think that African America women require products that are marketed for their hair, think again! Hair is hair – and your hair may have more in common with a woman who is not the same color as you than a woman who is. Embrace curly hair and give a variety of products a try. Don’t limit yourself. Hair is hair!

6. Assuming natural is hard to manage

Sure, we all have our bad hair days. But natural hair doesn’t have to be hard to manage. Natural hair definitely has its learning curves but it’s a journey that will save you a lot of time, money, and frustration in the long run. Natural hair means no unnecessary breakage or split ends. If you keep your hair regime simple and consistent, you’ll soon be wishing you made the switch to natural years ago. All hair textures have their advantages and disadvantages, and their benefits and their challenges. Embrace your natural hair and celebrate your style! Check out our new hair calendar to see where you are in the process.

The drive to the salon felt so long. I was so excited to finally go to Miss Simone’s Beauty Shop. It was a magical place I heard my Mom and aunts talk about often, but at 5 years old, I had never been allowed to go. They would leave the house with scarves on their heads and come back with curls cascading on their shoulders or a proper up-do smoothed just right. I had no idea how this all was possible or who was able to transform their hair so wonderfully. All I knew was that I would someday go to Miss Simone’s; leaving with my nappy, unruly roots and coming back beautiful like my Mom and aunties.

Traveling down the road, I felt as though I was making my way to a brand new me. It was a rites of passage. I was turning into a big girl now – at least that is what I thought. When we finally arrived at Miss Simone’s, I could hardly keep from jumping out the car and running up to the door of the salon Continue reading →